Experimental Validation of the Human Thermal Plume of the Driver Inside a Vehicle Cabin

In the last decade, human thermal plume understanding has become one of the necessary parts for optimizing ventilation systems, thermal comfort and, indirectly, energy efficiency. The human thermal plume is among the most challenging phenomenon to be reproduced correctly with numerical models, given its unsteady nature governed by the buoyancy forces. The research conducted in this article is a part of our larger study to develop knowledge about airflow behavior and its role in the thermal environment of vehicle cabins. This article presents the experimental investigation, using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Infrared (IR) thermography, of the thermal plume of an advanced thermal manikin placed in the driver's place inside our full-scale experimental model based on a Renault Megane vehicle. This study was performed in a climatic chamber under isothermal conditions and without ventilation. The experimental and numerical results showed good agreement regarding ranges and distributions in sagittal and coronal planes